Koach: What I Learned about Jewish Values from the RAC Experience by Rachel Katz

Throughout my entire religious school experience I have gained useful skills and knowledge to help lead me to a successful Jewish adulthood. After becoming an adult in the temple community, I feel from that point at age 13 my Jewish identity started to mold and help me give back. From the early age of eight years old in third grade to a mature 16 and in tenth grade, I have grown into a young Jewish woman.. During the countless years in Hebrew school, I took back many values and traditions that will help me in the future. This past December, I experienced the RAC trip with my Confirmation class where I learned how to speak out and gain a voice in the Jewish community and in the world around me. I gained countless values from the trip in Washington, D.C. that will help me gain my voice for the future. After experiencing the RAC trip in Washington, D.C. in December of 2011, I gained useful lifetime skills that will help me for future debates and discussions in the near and far future. One of the most important skills and experiences I gained from the RAC trip was that I had a voice that had an impact and mattered in the community. I learned that a 15 year-old from New Jersey can be heard and have an opinion and voice in the intimidating Washington, D.C. While attending the weekend, I personally wrote a letter to a Senator from New Jersey on the issue of bullying in the state. I wrote the Jewish value perspective on the issue and I learned that the Talmud has perspectives on modern issues. Jewish values such as voicing your opinion, taking action and never giving up are lessons that I learned from the weekend, and I will relate and apply them to my life now, in college, and later in the future. The skills and values learned will help me prepare for debates and help create speeches throughout my life. The experiences and memories learned and gained from the RAC trip will stay with me forever. The Jewish values learned will help in my future experiences evermore.